Cornelia's Birthday
by Liv Tinuviel
Summary: Author formerly juliette by the beach! It's Corny's bday and everyone forgets. They decide to throw a surprise party on Meridian to make it up to her, but guess who gate crashes...? Back after a VERY long wait, for which I apologize. WITCH not mine!
1. Birthday Blues

Cornelia Hale, resident Earth Guardian, was not happy. Throughout the course of the day, she had been late to school, had gross cafeteria milk spilled down her front, and fought with her mother. Will had been in a bad mood, Hay Lin had been too perky. Irma had talked too much and Taranee hadn't talked at all. Caleb was in Meridian with Elyon for the week, and Lillian was off on a "father-daughter-bonding-trip" in the mountains.

"What a birthday," she sighed. No one had paid her birthday any attention at all. No one had paid _her_ any attention at all. And Cornelia Hale, resident Earth Guardian, hated not being the center of attention.

Wallowing in self-pity, Corny stumbled into the shower. The worst of it was, she decided, that she couldn't be mad at anyone. Except her mother, of course. Will had just found out that she didn't make the varsity swim team. Hay Lin was just being Hay Lin and Irma was just being Irma. Taranee was quiet, but that was because she was upset about something Nigel had done. Cornelia hadn't bothered to find out what-by that time she had been too depressed to listen to anyone else's troubles. As for Caleb, well, this observer suspects that our dear Corny could rationalize anything to make Caleb exempt from blame. However, he _was_ Elyon's advisor and one of Meridian's top officials, so Cornelia _supposed_ she could (should) spare him for a week to ensure that everything was running smoothly. The fact that it happened to be her birthday week and that he hadn't even acknowledged it bugged her, but again, she excused him (this time by supposing he must have a lot on his mind at the moment).

Cornelia stepped out of the shower and got dressed. As she began to brush her long blond hair, she heard a noise form the kitchen. At first she thought nothing of it: her mother wasn't going to get her forgiveness just by rousing her curiosity. The she remembered-just after she had stormed off to her room, her mother had yelled "I'm going out!" and had slammed the pent house door behind her. Cornelia hadn't heard her mother return yet. She panicked slightly.

"I am a guardian of the veil (or whatever) and I am not afraid of a noise in my kitchen. It was probably just a pot or something falling," she said to herself, raising her chin determinedly and getting up to investigate.

Her long, wet hair swinging behind her, Cornelia stalked into the kitchen, half expecting (hoping) to see her friends jumping out to surprise her. She found nothing. Nobody hiding, nothing fallen to the ground, no apologetic friends wishing her a happy birthday. For some strange reason, this made her angry and she turned on her heel and stormed out, not noticing the tiny box on the windowsill.

An hour later, her mother came home, knocking softly on Cornelia's bedroom door. Corny turned down the music she had bee listening to (the depressing sort you listen to when you're feeling sorry for yourself-She Falls Asleep, Bad Day, and pretty much all the James Blunt songs:P) and opened the door. Her mother wordlessly handed her a tiny white box and promptly left. Cornelia looked at it, surprised. She raised the lid of the box and saw a folded note. Moving it aside to read in a moment, she saw a stunning crystal bracelet resting on some clumsily folded tissue paper. Opening the note, she read:

_Cornelia,_

_Happy Birthday! Sorry I couldn't be there today. I tried to get away for longer, but I could only escape for a second to find Blunk. Speaking of which, I hope you get this ok (meaning, I hope he doesn't decide to steal it), but I think it'll be ok. So I have to urry back-the next meeting's about to start. I've been thinking about you all day (Elyon got mad at me for not paying attention to some stuffy old guy who was complaining about…actually, I have no idea what he was complaining about!). _

_-Caleb_

Smiling as she slipped the bracelet over her wrist, Cornelia Hale, resident Earth Guardian, felt her bad mood lighten just a bit.


	2. People's Plans

**Hey guys! Still testing the waters, so review so I know if you think I should keep going! Thanks to Bla8, CCRox4eva, and celestial dragon rider for the encouragement!**

**I don't do a lot of dialogue because I'm not very comfortable with it yet…but I would really appreciate it if you would help me out with the whole dialogue thing. If you see something that could be dialogue and isn't, let me know. And if I had someone say something out of character or whatever, let me know. Thanks!**

**Also, I forgot last chapter: Don't own W.I.T.C.H. If I did there would be a LOT more Caleb Cornelia stuff. ******** And I wouldn't have to resort to writing mediocre fan fiction.**

**STORY TIME!!**

Will Vandom woke up, yawned, and look over at her alarm clock. Her eyes fell on the date and her jaw dropped. It was the 11th-yesterday had been the 10th (A/N: correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Corny's bday May 10?). _Oh my god, we forgot Cornelia's birthday…I have to call the girls! _ She thought. Just then, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked as she flipped it open, ignoring her alarm clock, which was wishing her a good morning.

"Huston we haaaaaaaave a problem," came Irma's voice. "I just checked the weather forecast and it appears that Hurricane Cornelia will be hitting us today due to severe birthday-forgetting conditions."

"I know-I just remembered. We need to get everyone together so we can at least give her a mini party, even if it is a day late." Irma agreed and the two decide that Irma would call Hay Lin and Will would call Taranee and tell them to meet at the Silver Dragon at noon. As Will got dressed, she wondered why Cornelia hadn't made a fuss about them forgetting her birthday. Normally, Will would have expected Cornelia to have called one of them (probably Will, after all) and yelled about what horrible friends they were, to forget someone's birthday like that! Shrugging, Will set off for the Silver Dragon to fix her mistake.

_The Silver Dragon at Noon_

Yan Lin was putting the last of the food on the girls' table just as Irma came bursting through the door, 10 minutes late, as usual. Will stopped mid-sentence to laugh as she fell over a stool, then continued with her thought:

"So anyway, Cornelia's at ice skating, she won't find out about this" Taranee looked relieved at the news. Hay Lin spoke up, wondering where Caleb was and Irma reminded her that he was in Meridian with Elyon for the week.

"OH MY GOSH GUYS-" Hay Lin began, before her grandmother shushed her. "Oh my gosh-what if we throw Cornelia a party on Meridian? That way, Caleb and Elyon can be there too!" The other guardians responded enthusiastically, and began delegating jobs. Will opened a portal and disappeared into Meridian to ask Elyon's permission to throw the party at the palace. Hay Lin rushed home in order to start planning the costumes each girl would wear (for they had decided to hold a masquerade). Irma and Taranee headed off to the mall to buy presents for Cornelia.

Ice Skating Rink, Heatherfield

Cornelia was attracting stares. Some people were watching the way her magnificent blond hair swung around her as she turned, she knew, but most were observing her talent. Speeding up, she leapt into the air, tucking her arms to her chest and holding her legs rigid. Remembering how her friends had forgotten her birthday, she huffed angrily as she came out of the spin, then caught a glimpse of the pretty crystal bracelet on her wrist. Smiling, she turned on her toe and began gracefully skating backwards. It seemed that the delicate ornament had mollified her quite a bit.

Elyon's Castle, Meridian

"Caleb!" Will greeted the former rebel leader with a sisterly slap on the arm. "Where's Elyon? I have to ask her a favor," she added quickly, in order to prevent Caleb from becoming alarmed, as he was wont to do whenever any of the guardians (save Cornelia) showed up in Meridian unexpectedly.

"She's in her room. I was just on my way up that way, want me to go with you?" Caleb answered, as he fell into step with Will. "What's this all about anyway?" Will smiled and started to explain…

Hay Lin's Room, Heatherfield

Ok, let's face it: Hay Lin is very easily excited. But to say she was excited for the party was a HUGE understatement. After, it wasn't just a party; it was a party that she got to design the clothes for! Deciding that, since it _was_ Cornelia's birthday, her costume had to be the best, Hay Lin started with her. Cornelia would have to be a princess, of course, but what kind of princess? A peppy little pop princess? A damsel-in-distress-Cinderella princess? Or some kind of butt-kicking ninja princess? Ok, so that last one was out (but it was such a good idea!). Suddenly, Hay Lin decided that each W.I.T.C.H. would just _have_ to be a different type of princess. Irma could be the ninja princess, but what about Cornelia?

The Mall, Heatherfield

Taranee and Irma definitely felt that they had the hardest job. I mean, after all, what do you get a girl who has everything? (A/N: Like in _The Little Mermaid_. "Wouldn't you think I'm a girl, a girl who has, everything!" Anyone? Anyone? No? Oh well, back to the story:) Perplexed, they began the long walk through all of Cornelia's favorite stores.

"Corny owes me BIG TIME for this one, alright," Irma mumbled, looking at the long line of stores. She glared at the stores, extracting a chuckle from Taranee, and set off at brisk pace, as though trying to get through this as quickly as possible.

"It's only a mall, you know," Taranee chimed in, as Irma sent two little girls flying in her haste to get the shopping done.

Some Dark and Dismal Place, Meridian

The tall, thin man lurking in the shadows smiled at what he saw reflected in the pool of sand at his feet. The Guardians were returning to Meridian, for a party, no less, and had no idea he had escaped.

When he had first realized that the guardians could still commute between worlds, he had become, ah, shall we say, slightly frustrated? Yes, that works-he had become slightly frustrated. Now however, he saw an opportunity to add to his plan. It was like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon. The guardians would be in Meridian unprepared and unawares, and he would take their power, in addition to executing his "other" plan. Revenge would be swift and sweet. Smiling, he bang to sing "Happy Birthday" under his breath as he summoned his minions.

**Well, what'd you think? Please, please let me know. Constructive criticism is not only appreciated but asked for! I decided to make this a bit more than just CC fluff but it's still going to have CC. (How, I do not know because I am kind of making up details as I go along.) And a cake for anyone who knows which Harry Potter character said that quote or which book it's from! (If you didn't catch the quote and claim to be a HP fan: shame on you, it was almost direct from the book!)**

**Much Love! Juliette**


	3. Fore Fete Festivites

**Well sorry if any of you were waiting with bated breath for me to update (HA! That's a laugh) but I have been really busy. Can you say summer school, basketball practice and a job that I hate? Anyways, thanks for all the encouragement. I'm trying really hard to write a story worth reading, so any of you seasoned authors out there, either review or send me a message telling me what/if I can do better. Thanks much! And EM gets a cookie or whatever I promised for getting the HP quote. On with the story (featuring characters which I still do not own [that was my disclaimer in case you're really thick and couldn't figure it out).**

**One more thing: I know that the timing for making costumes, setting up a party, and getting the gift is way off (all happens in like a day in my story) but please just go with it. If you want, you can pretend it has been a couple days between the events of the last chapter and this one. I don't really every specify, so knock yourself out!**

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Irma Lair was exhausted. She had spent the day shopping for that blond princess of an earth guardian's birthday gift. Finally, she found the perfect gift. Ok, fine, Taranee had helped (and they'd had to kidnap Hay Lin from her costumes), but the original idea had been pure Irma. And she was reasonably proud of this accomplishment. She just hoped it would be ready on time. Irma was jarred from her thoughts by an annoyed Hay Lin.

"Can I go back to my costumes now?" the normally bubbly air guardian demanded. "Only I've almost finished (but not quite) and we have to start getting ready in 2 hours!" Hay Lin looked as though she was about to hyperventilate.

"Deep breath, Hay Lin, you've got plenty of ti-" Taranee was interrupted as Will, Elyon, and a sea sick looking Caleb stumbled out of a newly opened portal. "..ime, so just relax," she finished.

"Everything's set at the palace!" Elyon said excitedly. "The decorators are just finishing up."

"Caleb, what's wrong?" Hay Lin asked the former rebel leader, who now only looked tough enough to lead 5 year olds in a rebellion against nap time (something they can rebel against just fine on their own, thanks).

Shaking his head, he pointed at Will and managed three words: "Folding needs practice."

Irma choked on a laugh as Hay Lin shooed the five of them out of her 'workshop'. Deciding to once again divide and conquer all they had to do, the girls organized and delegated. Taranee wrote out five copies of a list and handed one to each person, "So we all know who's doing what," she explained.

_Distract Cornelia-Irma and Will_

_Buy/Bring Make Up and Accessories- Elyon (and Caleb)_

_Pick up present and Cake- Taranee_

(Obviously, Caleb wasn't too pleased with his assignment, but anything for Cornelia, right?) Thus, having their jobs, the girls and Caleb set off to do their duties.

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Cornelia was just finishing taking off her skates when Will and Irma showed up.

"Hey CORNY!" Irma yelled, emphasizing the last word.

"Why do you do that? You know she hates it, Try not to get into a fight with her before the party, please!" Will whispered as Cornelia walked over to them, with a smile and a wave for Will and a deadly glower for Irma. "Wanna get some ice cream Cornelia? Taranee and Hay Lin are stuck at home (family stuff)" Will finished in response to Cornelia's questioning look when she didn't see the two aforementioned missing persons.

"Sure," she said, somewhat indifferently. Afterall, they had forgotten her birthday-she was entitled to be a little cold to them, at least until they remembered. Trying not to make it painfully obvious that they were hiding something, Will and Irma led Cornelia out of the ice skating rink and down the street to her favorite ice cream parlor.

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Caleb was not happy. Just look at the mess his devotion to Cornelia had gotten him into: standing idly by whilst the Queen of Meridian exuberantly picked out various shades of any and every type of make up every created or thought up, like ever. Fuuuuuun. Not. (Well, at least not for Caleb!) He'd rather be fighting Phobos, or Cedric, or Nerissa, or be getting a root canal and having his toes cut off. Thankfully, the only time he was called upon to participate was when the Light of Meridian broke her mutterings of "This will be perfect for Taranee!" and "OMG! This shade matches Irma's eyes to perfection!" to ask his opinion on something. To which he would reply with a noncommittal jerk of the head that Elyon was free to interpret in whichever way was most convenient at the time. (A/N: SO true, huh? I mean, ever asked a guy for his opinion while you were shoping? Or, ever asked a guy for his opinion, ever? Lol, sorry guys. wink)

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Meanwhile, back at the farm, (or, in this case, the mall) Taranee was picking up the present that the four guardians had pitched in for for Cornelia. Taranee had to hand it to Irma, it was a brilliant idea and Taranee was sure Cornelia would love it. After carefully wrapping the gift in tissue paper, the clerk handed it to her and she set off to pick up the cake the girls had ordered. When she was done, she would telepathically contact Will and they would fold to Meridian, drop the stuff off, and return to Earth in time to prepare for the party.

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An hour and a half later, when Irma dragged a protesting Cornelia through Hay Lin's front door, the rest of the girls (minus Elyon) were already waiting.

"Surprise! Cornelia, we feel really bad about forgetting your birthday and to make it up to you, we planned a surprise party," Will stated.

"It's a masquerade and Hay Lin already made all our costumes, so don't worry-you don't need to get better clothes," Irma interjected before Cornelia could flip out about not being properly dressed.

"Ok, since you're the birthday girl and you love princesses, each one of us is a different kind of princess. So, you first, Cornelia!" Hay Lin said excitedly, pulling one of the costumes from her closet. "You change in my room, then come show us!"

Cornelia, happy that her friends did still care about her, went obligingly into Hay Lin's room and put on Hay-Hay's stunning creation. Then, she reentered the room that held her friends.

"You're a fairy princess, Cornelia! You look great! How do you like it?" Hay Lin finished anxiously.

"It's beautiful," Cornelia replied. And it was. The halter dress was short, showing off Cornelia's long toned legs and was the same pure blue as her eyes. Her hair fell in long golden sheets over very light blue (so as to be almost transparent) wings that Hay Lin had cleverly made herself and sewn into the back of the dress. "Your guys's turn!" she said, with a laugh. The four girls took their costumes and reappeared one by one to accept their friends' praises and to tell Hay Lin that she was an artistic genius.

Will came next, as a futuristic princess. She was covered in silver, from her fitted blazer-like jacket to her short pouffy skirt. Her shock of red hair stood out forcibly from the rest of her appearance, drawing the eye to her face.

Next came Irma, a mermaid princess. She was dressed in a deep sea green skirt that reached all the way to her ankles and wore a strapless top, over which Hay Lin had placed a sparkly blue-green shawl.

Taranee entered the room as an Afrcian princess. Her orange wrap around dress fell to just below her knees and was trimmed with the deepest reds. The girls giggled as they noticed that Taranee's outfit seemed to suggest fire.

Finally, Hay Lin emerged as a classic storybook princess, pre-happy ending, that is. She wore a simple brown dress and white apron, Cinderella and Snow White style.

Once the girls had finished instpecting Hay Lin's magnificent costumes, they began to fix each other's hair and make up. Cornelia's straight strands were transformed into glossy golden curls and her make up was replete with soft hues that brought out her eyes. Will received numerous clips and braids woven into her hair and exaggerated, if silver and black, make up. Irma's spunky hair was crimped until it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. Her make up was done in the same strong greens as her costume. Taranee's hair was decorated with many beads and adornments and her make up was the most muted, browns and reds and oranges that gave her a pretty glow. Hay Lin released her long ponytails and put her hair in a half ponytail, which she then braided. Her make up was soft and almost unnoticeable.

"Well, I'm like your guys's servant today….getting you all dressed for the ball, while I look shabby. I almost didn't have time to make my own costume, this was the best I could do!" she exclaimed nervously. And the other girls immeadiatly (and truthfully) began assuring her that she looked marvelous and she didn't have to worry, everyone would say how great they ALL looked.

Thus, they primped, brushed, curled, braided, and accessorized until Will said, "Time to go. We won't want to keep everyone waiting."

"Just where are we going, anyway?" Cornelia asked, a perfect eyebrow rising in inquiry.

"Caleb, eat your heart out. You are going to drop dead the second you get a load of Cornelia," Irma whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing, let' go."

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In a dark corner of Meridian, Phobos (because of course it was he!) watched the guardians prepare for the party with glee.

"Excellent, they haven't transformed. They will be nearly powerless!" he breathed. Turning, he saw his army of Nargles preparing for battle. They were his own ingenious invention. Formed by water and earth, forged in fire, cooled by air, and brought to life by the magic of quintessence, they would destroy the guardians. After all, the five elements were strongest when united. A lesson the guardians were going to learn the hard way, it seemed.

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**It seems I need another disclaimer. I must convinve that neither Phobos nor I invented the nargles. That credit goes to JK Rowling (or maybe to Luna Lovegood's father?) tho she never says what exactly they are, so I made them psyco creatures of doom! Mwah-ha-ha. **

**BTW, hope you noticed, each girl was a princess that had some relevancy to her life. Corneliafairy, where do fairies live? In the woods**

**Willfuture, ok this is a stretch, but I figure electronics advance in the future, right? **

**(hides as people realize how weak of a connection that it)**

**Irmamermaid, duh, if you don't get this, you have obviously never even heard of w.i.t.c.h before**

**TaraneeAfrican princess, her heritage? idk and the colors are all firey**

**Hay Linshe hasn't found her happy ending yet, really, has she? And she did slave away all day making those costumes, etc, so yeah…**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Juliette**


	4. Birthday Bash

**Ok, so I am a horrible person who updates very irregularly. If I was reading this story and not writing it, I would be extremely annoyed with myself for the long waits between updates. So, sorry about that. Been busy, you know how it goes. **

**Standard text messaging rates and disclaimers apply. **

**P.S. DEATHLY HALLOWS anyone? Oh my god…I am in awe (and rereading it!!)**

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"Where exactly are we going?" Cornelia questioned.

"You'll see!" Will chirped. "Actually, you won't. Sorry, Cornelia, we're going to have to blindfold you now…" Will ducked as Cornelia telepathically sent a hairbrush flying past/at her head. Ignoring Cornelia's protests ("The blindfold will ruin my eye make up! And crush my hair! Come on guys, just let me see!") the girls quickly blindfolded her and escorted her to Will house, where Will opened a portal. Hay Lin skipped through, followed by Taranee. Lastly, Cornelia, aided by Irma and Will, walked through the portal. Someone gave an excited squeak, only to be immediately hushed, and Cornelia jumped.

"Who was that?" She asked, already sure she knew the answer. They had been best friends for years, after all.

Will reached out and untied Cornelia's blindfold as Elyon gave another squeak and, unable to contain herself any longer burst out laughing and started complimenting the girls and especially Hay Lin on their costumes. Elyon was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, one of Cornelia's favorite movies, her hair glamoured brown.

"I almost didn't recognize you!" Cornelia giggled as the two friends hugged.

Unnoticed by any of the girls, someone had slipped into the room, and stood, hidden in the shadows, watching the reunion of the friends. As the figure watched, Elyon called one of her guards forward and lifted a sparkling tiara from the box the guard carried. Smiling, she carefully set the tiara amongst Cornelia's golden curls, and then laughed pleasantly.

"I wish it looked that good on me!" she joked. The figure in the shadows rolled his eyes.

"Girls," he murmmered, drawing the attention of Elyon, and causing Cornelia to jump again.

"CALEB!" Cornelia screamed, as he came forward to give her a hug. "Thanks for the bracelet," she whispered, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and breaking the hug. As they broke apart, Hay Lin had to stifle a laugh at the disappointed look on Caleb's face.

"Let's look at you. I want to see your costume, come into the light better," Irma ordered. Caleb stepped out of the shadows, his breath catching for a moment as he caught sight of Cornelia, seeing her properly for the first time that night. He was dressed as a hunter. Brown pants, dark green shirt, a bow slung over one shoulder, a knife at his belt.

"Typical…" Irma murmured, but Cornelia cast him an approving smile before she turned back to Elyon.

"The party's going to be here? Elyon, thank you so much! I hope it's not too much of a problem…" she trailed off. Elyon, grabbing her arm and leading her toward the ballroom that held the rest of the guests, assured her it was no problem at all. Shooting Cornelia a ferocious glare that was slightly ruined by his tone of voice, Caleb mentioned that it would be a problem if the party was ruined because the guest of honor was late. Taking the hint, the girls opened the door to the ballroom and saw the beautiful decorations and the glittering crowd awaiting their (or, more precisely, Cornelia and Elyon's) entrance.

_What a party_, Will thought as she watched the glittering throng dancing. She smiled as Caleb and Cornelia sailed gracefully across her line of vision. Turning her head, she saw Elyon-Dorothy dancing with someone Will had never seen before. Making mental note to ask Elyon about him later, she turned her attention back to Caleb and Cornelia, noticing for the first time, the pretty bracelet that Cornelia wore on her wrist. Just then, the music stopped, and Elyon stood to toast Cornelia.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Meridian, tonight we celebrate (albeit a bit belatedly) the birthday of the Earth Guardian-my best friend, Cornelia Hale," she paused as cheers erupted. W.I.T.C.H. was widely known and loved in Meridian (obviously!). Elyon continued:

"Cornelia not only helped restore me to my throne, but also helped flush out the evil that was plaguing our beautiful homeland. She, along with the other guardians, deserves our eternal gratitude…" Cornelia wasn't paying attention anymore. You wouldn't be either, if Caleb was standing right next to you, holding your hand. He _is_ the love of her life, you know. He kept absent mindedly running his thumb along her hand, and it was VERY distracting. Marshalling her thoughts, she tried to focus back on Elyon.

"…has been my best friend for years. Don't know how I would have survived life on earth without her and the rest of my friends. So, I just want to wish you happiness on your birthday, Cornelia. You're like a sister to me. I love you and toast you with, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Elyon finished, beaming, as the surrounding assembly raised their glasses in the general direction of Cornelia (and Caleb) and repeated the last two words. Cornelia beamed back and mouthed "Thank you".

A while later, after the cake had been eaten (vanilla with chocolate frosting, cold, just how Cornelia liked it) Elyon led Cornelia to her very own throne, pushed Cornelia into it, and called servants to bring the gifts. Many cards, bows, and brightly colored wrapping papers later, Elyon, Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin stepped forward. Irma presented Cornelia with a large, rather heavy package, with a mumbled "It was my idea." Looking at the package skeptically, Cornelia began to unwrap it. Finally, she extracted the gift from a large box. There was a great hush throughout the ballroom as Cornelia inspected the beautiful, precise model of the castle. It was like a dollhouse, built from Hay Lin's sketches of Elyon's palace. Standing on a balcony were W.I.T.C.H. and Elyon, arms around each other.

"Oh wait! We forgot!" Will's exclamation broke the silence. With a sheepish "Quintessence!" the figures came to life and started hugging each other excitedly.

"Wow," Cornelia breathed. "Thank you guys so much-this has been the best birthday ever!" Handing the castle carefully to Caleb, she stood and the six friends embraced.

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Not so far away, Phobos watched the scene, laughing softly. The nargles were clustered around him, awaiting his order. Surly it would come soon, the party was almost over, after all. With a glance at the palace looming in the distance, he gave the command:

"Go. Bring me my sister and the guardians. They are not in guardian form and should therefore be easy to capture. DO NOT allow them to transform. Put this," he took a black orb on a leather strap from the inside of his cloak. "Put this around the neck of the red haired girl." Glancing back at the girls hugging in the palace, he noticed someone standing near them.

"Kill the boy."

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**That's all folks! How'd I do? **


	5. Party Poopers

Recap:

No one (except Caleb) remembered Cornelia's birthday.

WITH decided to host a party on Meridian to make it up to her.

Phobos sent Nargles (creatures made of all 5 elements) to attack WITCH, Elyon, and Caleb at the party. He wants Caleb dead.

Cornelia and friends were still hugging when the doors of the ballroom burst open. They jumped apart, looking worriedly at the doors, as they heard Caleb fire an arrow from the bow slung over his shoulder.

_Wow, I didn't know that he could do that! _Cornelia thought idly, before realizing three things in quick succession:

An enormous army of big, ugly things was currently invading her party. Judging by the surprised looks on her friends' faces and Caleb's violent reaction, they had not been invited.

Her beautiful miniature castle was perched very precariously on the armrest of the throne. For a fleeting moment, Cornelia worried that it would break. Then she realized she had larger problems.

Will didn't have the Heart.

The party guests ran screaming through the room, trying to escape the destruction caused by the giant mutant things. Cornelia heard the frantic discussions of her friends to her right and the stream of Caleb cursing to her left.

"Open us a portal back to Heatherfield NOW," Cornelia snapped at Elyon, whirling around to face her friends. "We can go home, get the Heart, and come back. Do you think you can hold them off until then, Ellie?"

"Yes. Here," Elyon said, opening the portal. Will turned and suggested that she be the only one to return to Heatherfield.

"I'll come back quickly, and this way, you guys can help Elyon and Caleb," she explained. The other girls nodded and began to usher the guests out of the room via another door. Caleb, spotting one of the guards (who was being completely useless and just standing there, terrified) took the sword from the sheath around his waist and entered the fray. Cornelia saw, and shouted at him to be careful. He didn't hear her.

Moments later, Will came bounding into the room, with a flash of blue light. She had barely entered Meridian when the girls heard her cry and found themselves in Guardian Form. It was then that Cornelia realized she hadn't seen hide nor hair of Elyon since Will had left. Calling to Will for assistance, she searched for Elyon. A second later, the girls found her.

A huge Nargle was standing over the Queen, about to destroy her. Standing in the way of the monster was a comparatively small human male: Caleb. The Nargle raised its foot, preparing to crush them both.

"NO!" Cornelia yelled, calling on the rocky foundation of the castle to trip the giant beast. Will swooped in behind Caleb, rescuing the unconscious Queen, as Cornelia struggled against the Nargle.

Irma and Hay Lin were having just as much difficulty with the monsters they were battling. Taranee's fight was also futile. When Will returned from bringing Elyon to a safe haven, she called the girls together.

"Elyon murmured 'Nargles.' Caleb, do you know what that means?" Will asked their resident Meridian expert.

"Nargles, nargles," he repeated. "Of course! They are ancient creatures, made by the combination of all 5 elements. Only the royal family-or the Guardians- have the power to produce them-"

"The royal family? Elyon would never…" Irma interjected.

"And we certainly didn't," Taranee mentioned, while streaming fire at the wall of upcoming nargles.

"Phobos," Cornelia said, looking to Will with wide eyes.

"If they are made by mixing all the elements, can't we just call our elements back from them? Unmake them, if you know what I mean?" Hay Lin suggested.

"Worth a try," Will agreed. Soaring into the air, the girls each focused on one particular nargle at a time. Caleb kept many of the rest busy by chopping at them with his sword.

Their plan was working. The girls would call for their elements, effectively ruining the nargle. Taking away their quintessence, Will reduced the warriors to mere statues. Dehydration made them crumble, much to Irma's satisfaction. By removing the fire, Taranee took away the strength of the giants. Cornelia's earth left the gargoyles without a solid form. Finally, the air reclaimed by Hay Lin created burning mudslides where fierce monsters once stood. Flushed with a seemingly easy victory, the girls didn't notice a stray nargle approach them. He had a black piece of fabric, which he wound around Will's neck. Instantly, the Guardians fell from the air, returned to their human forms. Seconds later, they heard Caleb grunt and collapse, his sword falling from his hand. Cornelia screamed, and the nargle turned clumsily, knocking her crystal castle to ground, where it shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. She screamed again.

Up to this point, the mini-castle Guardians had been watching the scene, unable to offer any assistance. Mini-Will watched as the real Will ripped the black fabric off of her neck. The Heart was no where to be found. Mini-Taranee watched as the Fire Guardian looked about her helplessly: what could she do in human form? Mini-Irma and real Irma alike looked desperately for something to save them: the Heart, or even just a joke to lighten the mood. Mini-Hay Lin was lost deep in thought while big (biggish? slightly bigger? Hay Lin isn't exactly big, is she?) Hay Lin gazed around hopelessly. Mini-Cornelia and Mini-Elyon watched with broken hearts as the Earth Guardian alternately sobbed brokenly and screamed in rage. Then, Mini-Hay Lin called a Mini-Guardian conference.

Will and Irma, meanwhile, looked at each other, looked at Cornelia, and realized something had to be done. Cornelia was still crying, but was now, it appeared, considering fighting off the remaining nargles in her human form.

_Typical, stubborn Corny_ Irma thought, shaking her head. Just then, the doors burst open, yet again, and wouldn't you know, but Prince Phobos came striding into the ballroom.

_Great. _Irma huffed silently in her head. Phobos's smirk was unmistakeable: he knew he had won. Well-mostly. He didn't have Elyon, but that was only a matter of time, once he disposed of the Guardians. His cool glance took in the scene: all five guardians, glaring at him, but with no other course of action (the lovely vicious blonde Earth Guardian was even crying!), the rebel leader crumpled, broken on the floor, and the Heart of-

"Where is the Heart?" He demanded of the nearest Nargle. The creature just looked at him dumbly. "The Heart-where is it? It was supposed to pass to you once you had the black ribbon around that girl's neck! What has happened to it? I told you it was of the utmost importance!" Phobos screeched, furious. Realizing he was making a scene, he quickly composed hiself. So he didn't have the Heart? So what? The most important thing was that the Guardians didn't have the Heart, either.

Or that's what he thought.

(I was going to be awful and leave it here, but then I realized that you all have probably forgotten about me anyways and I should satisfy those who flatter me by remembering this story and continuing to read it. So[drum roll, please on with the story!)

Suddenly, the Mini-Guardians flew into action. Four of the five buzzed around his head like annoying mosquitoes, while the fifth, Little Will, flew towards the girls.

"NOW!" shouted Little Cornelia as soon as Little Will was sitting on big Will's shoulder. The rest of the Mini-Guardians zoomed to the shoulders of their life-sized counterparts.

"Will's quintessence didn't just bring us to life…" Little Taranee began to explain.

"It brought _this_ Heart to life as well!" Little Hay Lin finished triumphantly, excited by what had been her idea. With that, Little Will ripped the Little Heart from her neck and tied the string around real Will's pinky finger.

"You know what?" Will asked. "I'll take it! Guardians Unite!" And suddenly, the Guardians were back, with a vengeance. Cornelia threw herself at Phobos, aided by Will, while Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin finished off the rest of the Nargles. The girls fought hard, but none so hard as Cornelia. Her birthday party had been ruined, her beautiful gift destroyed, her best friend knocked unconscious, and the unacknowledged love of her life possibly killed. To say she was absolutely furious was an understatement.

"Even I wouldn't cross Corny in this mood!" Irma yelled to Hay Lin, trying to take her friends' minds off all that had happened.

Finally, a good fifteen or twenty minutes later, the last of the Nargles had been destroyed and Phobos had been captured. Elyon had awoken and trapped her brother in a power-binding cell of her own creation. Caleb had been removed to the infirmary, with grim looks on the part of the nurses, who explained that it appeared as thought one of the Nargles had first knocked Caleb out, then beat him. He was in critical condition. Cornelia was distraught, but the girls forced her to go back home. At home and at school Cornelia was distant, unfocused, and constantly worried. Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin worried for their friend. What if Caleb didn't survive? They had never seen Cornelia act like this before…so broken.

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A few days later, Cornelia finally managed to convince her friends to take her to Meridian to check on Caleb. Not wanting to call attention to themselves, they folded into Elyon's room to borrow Meridianite clothing. Elyon wasn't there, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Cornelia and which increased her anxiety.

After dressing in the appropriate clothes, the girls snuck out of Elyon's room and down the halls. As they walked the long path to the infirmary, they couldn't help but notice the suggestions of mourning throughout the castle: black drapes here, an empty room there, the silent, grim (more so than usual) faces of the guards.

Will cast a sidelong glance at Cornelia, and what she saw broke her heart. Proud, unbreakable, fearless Cornelia was crying silently as they walked, refusing to look at the telltale signs along the walls. She was a stunning picture of desolation, perfectly beautiful even in her sorrow. Will spun the Heart ring around her little finger and hoped, not the least for her friend's sake, that all would be well when they reached the infirmary.

They entered the room, Will first, followed by Taranee and Hay Lin, then Irma. Cornelia stumbled in last, afraid of what she would find. When she looked up, she uttered a sound that frightened her friends more than anything else had that week. She sighed "No," her voice broken, soft, very un-Cornelia-like, as she crumbled to the ground at the sight of the empty bed and crying nurses.

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**A/N: I'm sorry! I left you for so long! I hate myself, really I do, but I've had no inspiration for this story! I promise, as soon as I post this chapter and get ONE review for it, I will post the last chapter. I hate when authors put the review requirement in, but this is easy-just one!-and I just want to know that someone wants to know how it ends!**

**Thanks for waiting for me! I love you more than you could possibly know!**

** 3 Juliette Cullen (formerly by the beach)**


	6. Relaxing Resolutions

The girls descended on Cornelia, hugging her and murmuring words of comfort. Will didn't know what to do, she had never seen Cornelia like this before, and, judging from their faces, neither had any of the other girls. The crying nurse had turned when she heard Cornelia hit the floor, and, shooting Irma a _Take-care-of-her-for-a-second_ look, Will stood to talk to the nurse.

"What's happened here?" She asked.

"The captain died. Just last night. Result of the fight a few days ago. Guardians weren't fast enough I s'ppose…" The nurse could have no idea how much those words ripped us, most especially, Cornelia, apart. Hearing this, Cornelia stood. Will looked at her expectantly, hoping she was about to give the nurse a famous Cornelia Hale lashing and defend herself and the rest of the girls.

"Change me, Will," in a broken voice was all Will got. "Change me now, please." Against her better judgment, Will obeyed. As soon as Cornelia had completed her transformation, she soared out the open window.

"Cornelia-wait!" came a voice Will didn't expect to hear. It was Geoffry, the boy she had been dancing with at Cornelia's party. Cornelia was long gone. Who knew she could fly so well? Geoffry hurried into the infirmary, pausing a moment to catch his breath.

"It wasn't Caleb who died," he explained. "My father was a captain in the Queen's army-he died last night-" Will and the girls interrupted with condolences.

"No, it's not your fault, and he fought bravely. You guys did all you could. But Caleb is fine. He and her Majesty the Queen just folded to Earth, actually to tell you all the news. Queen Elyon felt you should be told in person, I guess, and she thought it was important for Caleb to be there," he finished.

"OMG! Thank you sooo much! Guys we have to tell Cornelia! Oh! And sorry about your dad, Geoffry!" Hay Lin said all in one breath, leaving Geoffry (who was unused to Hay Lin's enthusiasm) slightly confused.

Just then, they saw a flash of blueish light from the hallway. Hurrying out the door, W.I.T.H. collided into Elyon and Caleb, who fell over.

"HAHA! Weakling!" Irma laughed, as Will helped him up and gave him a sisterly hug.

"We're glad your ok, Caleb. We thought you had died," she said.

"Where's Cornelia?" Caleb asked, slightly disappointed that she wasn't there to see him. "We folded to the Silver Dragon but Hay Lin's grandma told us you guys had just left for here. Did Cornelia not come?" he expanded.

"She came, but then the nurse told us that someone had died and she thought it was you and begged Will to change her so she could fly into the night," Irma explained bluntly, irrationally angry at Caleb for reducing her strong friend to a sobbing mess for no good reason.

"You didn't do it thought, did you Will?" Elyon half begged, have assumed. Will hung her head. "Ugh," Elyon groaned.

After a few moments discussion, it was decided that the girls would transform and, with Elyon's help, fly in search of Cornelia. Caleb demanded to come, but Elyon ordered him to stay in bed; he was weak enough still, as it was.

Once the girls had begun their search, Caleb (of course!) snuck out of the palace in search of his blonde little fairy princess. For you see, he knew something the rest of them didn't know: there was a meadow, surrounded by trees, just a few minutes from the castle, that Cornelia loved. Caleb set off for the meadow. He could, of course, have just told the girls about the meadow, but he wanted to find Cornelia himself.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Cornelia was sitting, knees pulled to chest, head in arms, crying. She heard some leaves crunch behind her, but couldn't find the energy to lift her head and see who would dare approach a seriously depressed/angry at the world Earth Guardian. Then, whoever it was spoke, and she stood up so fast, she didn't even realize she had moved.

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Caleb walked towards the meadow. As he passed the last trees, he saw Cornelia in her guardian form, her glorious blonde hair strewn about her.

"Cornelia? Cornelia, are you ok?" he asked. She moved quickly and was standing up before he had a chance to blink. She looked him in the eye and he could see by her red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks that she had been crying, for a while now.

"You-You can't be here….you died!" she said, as though trying to convince herself that she wasn't hallucinating.

"No, I didn't," he reassured her softly. "I'm right here. It was another Captain who died last night (a good man, too) but me and Elyon were just going to tell you and the other girls that I was fine," he explained. She looked at him incredulously for a moment, as if trying to decide if what she saw and heard was true. After a second of indecision, she seemed to make a choice:

"Caleb! I can't believe it! I thought you were dead, that we hadn't gotten to you in time. It almost killed me, Caleb-" she ranted, throwing herself in his arms. He caught her and managed, just barely, to stay on his feet.

"It's ok, Cornelia, I'm fine. But all the girls are out looking for you. They're really worried, you know!" He reprimanded gently. Suddenly, she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"We better get back, then," she said, almost sadly.

"Yeah, we better," Caleb agreed. She offered her arms, which he accepted, and Cornelia flew them back to Elyon's castle.

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"Cornelia!"

"Caleb!"

"You're back!"

Everyone screamed and ran when Cornelia and Caleb soared through Elyon's open bedroom window. Caleb explained guiltily how he had known all along where Cornelia would be and how he had set out just after they had all left. The group laughed and talked, and WITH was amazed and gratified by the change in Cornelia. She had gone from distraught and broken to smiling and feisty once more. Will and Irma exchanged knowing smiles, when suddenly Taranee jumped up.

"Guys! It's a school night! We have to get home right away! Our parents will be worried!" Typical Taranee. The girls agreed, however, and after hugs all around for Elyon, they skipped through the portal, first Hay Lin, the Taranee, then Irma. When just Will and Cornelia were left, Will gave Caleb a one armed hug.

"I'm glad you didn't die, but if you EVER do that to us (cough-cornelia-cough) EVER again, I will personally castrate you! Bye guys!" And with a cheery wave, she hopped through the portal. Cornelia turned to say one final good bye to Elyon, and found that her Queen of a best friend had left the room. Looking up at Caleb, she laughed softly.

"Subtle, huh?" Caleb remarked.

"Yeah. Well, visit soon, I guess. With Elyon, of course," Cornelia added hastily. Then, almost a whisper: "You had me really worried, you know." Then, in a decidedly Cornelia-like action, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him, for real. He stiffened slightly with shock at first, but soon relaxed. She pulled away then, smiling softly, a lovely pink tint creeping into her cheeks, and said "See you, Caleb."

"Yeah," was all that poor boy could manage to respond. Cornelia slipped through the portal, which closed on Elyon's squeal as she reentered the room.

As Cornelia stepped gracefully into Heatherfield, she saw her four friends holding her miniature castle, good as new, with the mini-Guardians and the mini-Elyon waving up at her.

"Elyon fixed it," a deep voice explained, and Cornelia turned around to find Caleb and Elyon stepping out of a second portal. Caleb smiled, strode over to her, and caught her in a kiss.

Elyon and the girls squealed and screeched with excitement, but Cornelia just smiled and thought about what had turned out to be her favorite birthday yet.

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**A/N:**

**OH MY GOD! I actually finished it! Tell what you think! Was the ending rushed? I hope not, but I would really appreciate if you would let me know!**

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,  
Stating point of view  
Indicate precisely what you mean to say  
Yours sincerely, wasting away

-_When I'm 64_ by: The Beatles

**My little way of saying review, please! It's your last chance, after all!**


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